Sacred Kaaba cloth used as carpet? New Epstein files image sparks outrage across Muslim World after Kiswa seen on Jeffrey Epstein’s floor

A newly surfaced image from the latest US Department of Justice-released Epstein files has reignited outrage across the Muslim world after what appears to be a portion of the Kaaba’s sacred cloth or Kiswa was seen laid out on the floor, with Emirati billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and Epstein standing over it.

The cloth, identifiable by its black fabric and gold Quranic embroidery, is a part of the Kaaba’s covering that was previously revealed to have been sent to Jeffrey Epstein, raising deep alarm and anguish among Muslims globally.While fragments of the Kiswa are traditionally preserved or distributed under strict custodial and religious protocols, the idea that such a sacred object may have been used as a carpet inside a private home, especially one associated with convicted child sex offender Epstein, has been widely condemned as profoundly disrespectful.

Social media platforms have been flooded with expressions of grief, anger and disbelief, with many calling for accountability and clearer explanations over how one of Islam’s most revered symbols ended up in such a context.Earlier documents from the DOJ’s extensive Epstein Files, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, had triggered an international firestorm as they revealed that fragments of the Kiswa, the sacred cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, were shipped from Saudi Arabia in 2017 to the private US residence of Epstein.

The Kaaba’s Kiswa holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide.

It is replaced annually during the first day of Islamic New Year, which falls in the lunar month of Muharram and the previous cloth is traditionally preserved and distributed under strict custodial oversight to dignitaries, official institutions and selected custodians. Millions of pilgrims touch the Kiswa during tawaf rituals or circumambulation of the Kaaba and pieces of the cloth are regarded as blessings, not mere religious artefacts.

What the Epstein Files' documents show about Kiswa

According to multiple reports summarising the unsealed correspondence, three pieces of the Kiswa were involved in the shipment that reached Epstein’s residence in Florida or the US Virgin Islands in early 2017. The arrangement was facilitated through international air freight and the parcel was reportedly declared as “artwork” for customs purposes.The emails detail coordination between an UAE-based businesswoman and a Saudi intermediary, reflecting logistical planning that included invoices, customs documentation and delivery arrangements.

One piece was said to have come from inside the Kaaba, another from the previously used outer covering and a third from a material made in the same tradition but never actually deployed on the Kaaba.

In one message cited from the files, the logistical contact explained the religious significance of the cloth, emphasising that it had been touched by millions of pilgrims, carrying their prayers, hopes and tears, before its transfer.

Deep cultural and religious backlash over Epstein examining Kiswa on the floor

The disclosure has ignited intense backlash across Muslim communities and social networks, with many commentators describing the picture of Sulayem and Epstein examining the Kiswa on the floor, as deeply disrespectful and offensive. On social platforms, users expressed shock, disbelief and anger, noting that the symbolic weight attached to the Kiswah and its role in Islamic worship.Critics argue that items connected to the Kaaba should never be separated from their ritual context or circulated outside designated religious channels, especially to someone with Epstein’s criminal legacy.

Others have debated the ethical implications of such transfers and questioned the oversight mechanisms that allowed them to occur.

While one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Kaaba’s coverings were sent to Jeffrey Epstein to be used as carpets in his home" and punctuated it with a pokerface emoji, another wrote, "THIS IS WHAT UAE AND SAUDIS SOLD TO EPSTEIN FOR HIM TO MAKE INTO A CARPET! This is how MBS and MBZ sell out Islam...............

(sic)" and yet another fumed, "The individual who corresponded with Epstein about gaining access into the highest echelons of Saudi power, Aziza Al-Ahmadi, sent him a covering of the Kaaba to his private compound in the U.S.

Virgin Islands, with a senior Emirati official included on their email thread too. Accessing such a highly-prized divine artifact to send to a non-Muslim, let alone a convicted p********, would have required quite a reach into the Saudi Royal court to pull off.

Pictured here, Sheikh Sulayem and Epstein stand over the piece that Epstein seems to have converted into a carpet (sic)."Responses range from calls for official clarification to broader discussions about religious custodianship and the cultural responsibilities surrounding sacred artefacts.

Unanswered questions and ongoing scrutiny on shipment of Kiswa to Epstein

Despite the public disclosure of these documents, many key questions remain unresolved. The files themselves do not clarify the exact purpose behind the shipment to Epstein, the detailed nature of the relationship with the intermediaries involved or how the sacred items came to be selected for export.

Nor do official Saudi or UAE authorities appear to have issued statements affirming or contesting the details of the correspondence.

Analysts note that while historical practice allows for distribution of Kiswah fragments under certain conditions, such transfers are typically strictly controlled and seldom reach private hands without formal sanction. The uncertainty around this specific case has fuelled further speculation and debate.The revelations add another controversial dimension to the complex and far-reaching Epstein Files, a massive cache of documents that continue to yield surprising details about his global network and interactions long after his death. For many observers in the Muslim world and beyond, the notion of a piece of such a sacred religious symbol circulating through the private sphere, especially associated with one of the most infamous figures of recent decades, has struck a particularly sensitive nerve.